Style / Jewellery

Focus: Freywille 65th Anniversary

Ancient Egypt comes alive as Austrian enamelling powerhouse Freywille unearths the kingdom’s antiquated treasures to mark its 65th anniversary.

May 29, 2016 | By Kenny Loh

Celebrations are a big deal for Viennese label Freywille. Its trademark fire-enamel jewelry – which take more than 100 stages and up to two years to hand-make – is not just about paying homage to an age-old decorative technique, but the acclaimed artists and cities that have shaped the course of both art and design. Previous collections have been dedicated to late French, Austrian and Czech painters – Claude Monet, Gustav Klimt and Alphonse Mucha, respectively – and also embraced the vibrant cultures of Africa and Russia.

It comes as no surprise, then, that for Freywille’s 65th anniversary this year, the brand would cast the spotlight on yet another famed art practitioner or popular destination. It chose the latter and delved this time into the tombs of the pharaoh Tutankhamun and the 12th-dynasty Egyptian princess Chnumet for inspiration. The pieces look anything but, pardon the pun, grave. Beautiful, unique treasures recovered from these tombs, which include an enamel diadem – the oldest of its kind – and semi-precious trinkets embellished with turquoise, lapis lazuli and carnelian, are reinterpreted as miniature paintings on a slick range of gold bangles, earrings, rings and even a timepiece.

This story was first published in L’Officiel Singapore.


 
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